Improvement in nut-locking devices



JAMES L. ESTILL.

Improvement in Nut Lo cking Devices.

No. 121,348. Patented Nov.28,-1871.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES L. ESTILL, OF SALEM, OHIO, ASSIGNOB TO HIMSELF AND DANIEL KOLL, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN NUT-LOCKING DEVICES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 121,348, dated November 28, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES L. ESTILL, of Salem, in the county of Oolumbiana and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lock-Nuts for Railway Rails, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to lock-nuts for railway rails; and it consists of a slip of tough malleable metal secured in place to perform its function for locking the nuts of screw-bolts by means of the fish-plate-that is to say, having one end of said malleable slip clamped between the fishplate and the rail, so as to constitute a fixed point upon which said plates may be locked and unlocked with the nuts when desired. My invention further consists in bending one end of the malleable lock-plate over toward the fishplate so as to form a lip to hold said lock-plate out from the fish-plate, thus preventing the possibility of the nuts eventually riding over the ends of the lock-plate. And my invention further consists in arranging the locking-plates so that a portion thereof will form a cushion to support the fish-plate from the sides of the rail, and thereby form a space between the two for the purpose of relieving the jar and heavy strain upon the fish-plates, and thus in a very great degree relieve the vibration of the rails upon the nuts.

The fish-plates are placed on the opposite sides of the rail, and the bolts are passed through in the usual manner.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a view in perspective of a portion of a railway rail, showing my improvement applied to the screw-nuts of the fish-plate thereof. Fig. 2 represents a vertical transverse section showing the locking-plate clamped in position. Fig. 3 represents my improvement as applied to a single nut.

A slip of tough malleable sheet metal, a, of a width sufiicient to cause its edges to come in contact with the inner adjacent sides of two nuts, b, when said nuts have their adjacent sides vertical, is employed for locking the nuts upon their screw-bolts. One end of this malleable sheet-metal lock-plate a is slipped under the fish-plate B and between said fish-plate and the rail A, thus forming a perfect cushion for the fish-plate and keeping it fi'om the rail. lock-plate is of sufficient thickness at this point to fill the space between the fish-plate and the rail. The curve of the upper side of the base of the rail serves to hold the lock-plate a in position, when clamped by the fish-plate, against theside of the rail by screwing up the nuts, the malleable-metal lock-plate a being bent over between said nuts, as shown in the drawing, when the fish-plate is perfectly tight. The locking end of the plate a is bent over toward the fish-plate so as to form a lip, c, to hold said plate at out from the fish-plate, which prevents the nuts from eventually riding over the ends thereof, which might occur if it were flush with the fish-plate.

In addition to the advantage of using the fishplate to clamp the lock-plate, the latter also keeps the fish-plate away from the raila distance equal to the thickness of said malleable plate, and in this respect is very advantageous in forming a cushion, allowing the fish-plate to yield to the vibrations of \the rails and thus avoid, in a very great degree, the liability of the fish-plate to be broken by severe strain and close contact with the sides of the rails. The nuts can be easily removed by straightening the bent portions of the malleable-metal slips. The inter! vention of the malleable -metal lock-plate between the rail and the fish-plate forms a cushion for the latter, which, in connection with the space between them, affords great relief to the fish-plate from the heavy strain and vibrations of the parts at the joints of the rails, and forms the fastening for said plate a, both in locking and unlocking the nuts thereby, as the plates can be bent in or out while held by their inner clamped ends.

It is obvious that the malleable-metal lockingplate may be applied to look a single nut and be held in position by the fish-plate, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

Having described my invention, I claim- 1. A malleable sheet-metal slip having one end clamped by, or by and between, the fish-plate and the rail, and the other end between the nuts to be looked, as and for the purpose described.

2. The malleable-metal lock-plate intervened This between the rail and the fish-plate to cushion the for holding its nut-locking end away from the latter and form a space between the rail and fish-plate, as and for the purpose described.

said fish-plate, as described. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my 3. The tough malleable-metal lock-plate a, held hand in the presence of two Witnesses.

in position to lock and unlock the nuts by means Witnesses: JAMES L. ESTILL.

of the fish-plate, as described. J OSEPH FAUGETT,

' 4:. The lip c of the malleable-metal lock-plate PETERAMBLER. (14) 

